Editor:
I read the article about Bruce Milne (Coast Reporter, Sept. 19) and it scared the heck out of me. Then I checked his website and it scared me even more.
He states the main issue of the election is integrity and trust. To me, this means get ready for a very dirty campaign based on personal attacks and no substantive issues. Because someone disagrees with your views, it does not mean that person lacks integrity.
There are several more important issues that Sechelt needs to address, and this is where Milne drops the ball. He wants to get elected then have town hall meetings in January to ask the community what they want. Talk about pandering to special interest groups. The issues he mentioned can best be called naive.
What about a platform that will improve life in Sechelt? While he claims the candidates for councillor are not a slate, what would you call it? Along with Milne, most have been a part of previous councils that have cumulatively brought Sechelt to the crossroads it is at today.
The status quo is no longer good enough. Sechelt is losing young people to better job opportunities elsewhere. An aging population will be unable to support the tax burden required to maintain municipal service levels — already we pay twice the property taxes of West Vancouver. Something is wrong when the biggest employer with the best wages is the municipal hall. We must encourage new businesses to move to Sechelt, both to provide good paying jobs and to add to our tax base. A revitalized airport would be a good start in this direction.
I sincerely hope that Mayor John Henderson and his pro-business councillors will stand for re-election. We need this kind of leadership in Sechelt.
Bob Fisher, West Sechelt
